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Apparatus and method for monitoring hot surface of cook topRelated Patent Categories: Electric Heating, Heating Devices, Combined With Container, Enclosure, Or Support For Material To Be Heated, Exposed Horizontal Planar Support Surface For Material To Be Heated (e.g., Hot Plate, Etc.), Having Sensor, Responsive To Temperature, Having Microprocessor To Control Output Of The Heating DeviceApparatus and method for monitoring hot surface of cook top description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070170169, Apparatus and method for monitoring hot surface of cook top. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a cooking apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for monitoring a hot surface of a cooking apparatus, capable of informing a hot surface of a cook top to a user. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] Recently, electric ovens, electronic ranges, electric ranges, gas ranges, gas oven ranges, and cook tops are used as an apparatus for cooking food at home. [0005] Cook tops of these apparatuses have many problems associated with a user's safety because food is heated with the food put on a hot plate and the user cannot observe a separate flame with his natural eyes. For example, the user thinks that the hot plate is not heated at high temperature, touches the hot plate with his hand, and his hand get burned. [0006] To solve this problem, generally, a separate light-emitting member such as a lamp is added, and the light-emitting member is emitted at a predetermined position of the hot plate when the hot plate reaches high temperature. [0007] However, according to a related art, heater temperature is detected and a hot surface of the hot plate is informed of to a user. At this point, only an alarm according to the heater temperature is provided regardless of an error occurring during an actual cooking operation. In other words, an error associated with a result of detecting the hot surface of the cook top cannot be monitored or judged. Instead, when the hot surface of the cook top is detected, only an alarm regarding the hot surface is provided, and an error or reason of disorder in a system cannot be provided. [0008] For example, even when the hot plate reaches high temperature due to malfunction of a sensor or disorder of the system, an alarm is not provided and a user may be damaged. Also, even though the hot plate does not reach high temperature, an alarm is provided and the user feels uneasy. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an apparatus and a method for monitoring a hot surface of a cooking apparatus that substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. [0010] An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for monitoring a hot surface of a cooking apparatus, capable of discriminating an error from the hot surface of the cooking apparatus and displaying the same as well as monitoring detection and display of the hot surface of the cooking apparatus. [0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for monitoring a hot surface of a cooking apparatus, allowing a user to easily understand a relevant disorder when a cooking apparatus abnormally operates. [0012] Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. [0013] To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided an apparatus for monitoring a hot surface of a cooking apparatus, the apparatus including: a display unit for displaying a state of a hot surface and an operation error of a hot plate as a heater operates; a temperature detecting sensor installed closely to the heater to detect heater temperature greater than set temperature; and a microprocessor for comparing the heater temperature greater than the set temperature that is detected by the temperature detecting sensor with heater temperature greater than the set temperature that is expected by an elapse of an operating time of the heater to judge one of a hot surface and an operation error of the hot plate, and controlling the judgment results to be displayed using the display unit. [0014] In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for monitoring a hot surface of a cooking apparatus, the apparatus including: a heater; a hot plate heated by the heater; a temperature detecting sensor for detecting whether a hot surface of the hot plate reaches temperature greater than or less than the set temperature; a microprocessor for comparing a state of the hot plate that is detected by the temperature detecting sensor with another state of the hot plate that is expected by an elapse of an operating time of the heater to judge one of a hot surface and an operation error of the hot plate depending on whether the states of the hot plate under comparison are identical to each other; and a display unit for displaying judgment results of the microprocessor. [0015] In further another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for monitoring a hot surface of a cooking apparatus, the method including: counting an elapse time for which a heater is in one of on/off states; and when temperature detected by a temperature detecting sensor for detecting temperature of the heater does not change in response to temperature change corresponding to one of the on/off states of the heater even after the elapse time for which the heater is in one of the on/off states elapses a predetermined set time, displaying an error. [0016] According to the present invention, a hot surface of a cooking apparatus can be accurately detected and warned. When disorder of a system occurs, an appropriate signal can be provided to a user conveniently. [0017] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0018] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings: [0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cook top according to the present invention; [0020] FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a circuit for detecting a hot surface of a cooking apparatus according to the present invention; and [0021] FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts of a method for monitoring a hot surface of a cooking apparatus according to the present invention. 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